Monckton Sword and Scabbard
PeriodThird Quarter of the 18th Century
MediumSteel, wood, silver, leather
Dimensions39.25 × 4.9 in. (99.7 × 12.4 cm)
MarkingsMarked on the silver belt clip of the scabbard, "V & G."
ClassificationsMilitary Artifacts
Credit LineBequest of Mrs. Howard F. Brinton, 1954
Object number1982.401.1
DescriptionEngraved blade of steel, pommel and hilt of silver, and grip of wood wrapped with silver bands and braid. The rococo style engraving on the blade extends 7.25 inches from the pommel towards the tip. One side depicts a male figure wearing a military uniform in a cartouche. The other side is engraved with a stylized classical cupid-like figure above a parchment that is inscribed, "Un me suffit," which roughly translates from French to "One is enough." The scabbard with silver fittings is made of leather, and measures 29.75 inches long.Curatorial RemarksProbably of Continental origin, the sword is an elegant piece of craftsmanship, befitting Monckton's position and rank. Its hilt is solid silver rather than the usual brass, with shell terminals and a scored ball-shaped pommel. The hallmarks on the hilt are worn and not discernable, but clearly not in an English configuration. A clear maker's mark on the silver belt clip of the scabbard has not yet been identified to a specific craftsman. The steel blade is a flattened diamond shape richly engraved in the mid-18th century rococo style. The sword is remarkable for its high style as well as for its unusual provenance.NotesLieutenant Colonel Henry Monckton (1740 - 1778) was born into a noble and wealthy family in Ireland. His father was the First Viscount Galway. He had a distinguished military career during the course of the American Revolution leading a battalion of British Grenadiers through the Battles of Long Island, Assunpink Creek, Brandywine, Germantown, and finally Monmouth. In reporting his death, Lieutenant Hale of the Second Battalion of Grenadiers wrote that it was "to the unspeakable loss of the Regt." Well-regarded for his character and bravery both by his own command and by his adversaries, Monckton was buried with military honors by the Continentals in the cemetery of Old Tennent Church on the day after the Battle of Monmouth, which occurred on 28 June 1778. Captain William Wilson (1717 - 1813) of the First Pennsylvania regiment secured the sword and a flag believed to belong to Monckton (accession number 1982.400.1) off the battlefield. According to tradition, he brought the sword to General Anthony Wayne so that it might be presented to the Marquis de Lafayette, who then carried it throughout the French Revolution. Lafayette arranged for the sword to be returned to Wilson's son during his triumphal return to America in 1824. It then descended to his granddaughter Mrs. Howard F. Brinton, who bequeathed it to the Association in 1954. The sword and flag are depicted in a ca. 1860 - 1870 painting being presented to George Washington during the heat of the battle (accession number 2068).
Collections
ProvenanceLieutenant Colonel Henry Monckton; captured on the Monmouth Battlefield by William Wilson; then presented to the Marquis de Lafayette; returned by Lafayette in 1824 to Wilson's son John Abraham Scott Wilson; then by descent to Mrs. Howard F. Brinton, a great grand-daughter of William Wilson.
